For years, Nevada families have asked for something simple: the freedom to choose the best education for their children. What might have felt like a dream is almost a reality as the Education Freedom Tax Credit — a key provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — is set to come online in 2027.
Across the country, states are expanding educational freedom as families demand more flexibility and more options for their children. Nevada has made meaningful progress through charter school growth and open enrollment policies. Today, more than 15 percent of Nevada students attend charter schools, showing that families are actively seeking learning environments that better fit their children’s needs.
Still, access to educational choice remains uneven. While public school options have expanded, private school choice and home-schooling often remain financially out of reach for many working families. About 4.5 percent of Nevada students participate in private schooling and 6 percent in home-schooling. Yet support for these communities remains limited. Nevada’s private school choice program, the Opportunity Scholarship, has been capped at $6.6 million for years and currently serves only about 1,556 students, roughly 0.3 percent of Nevada’s K-12 student population.
Families need and deserve more. As a Nevadan who has spent nearly a decade advocating for educational opportunity and programs such as the Opportunity Scholarship, I know what the Education Freedom Tax Credit could mean for families across our state. For years, many of us fought to expand the Opportunity Scholarship program so more families could access educational options that fit their children’s needs, but those efforts often fell short.
While we will continue to advocate for expanding our state program, I remain grateful that Nevada leaders continue to fight for families through additional opportunities. The Education Freedom Tax Credit can be that opportunity. Congress made educational freedom a priority, and Gov. Joe Lombardo, rightfully so, opted Nevada into the tax credit. Soon, Nevada families will have greater access to educational freedom, and Nevada donors will see their support stay in-state to help kids here at home.
Every child learns differently. Some students thrive in traditional public schools, while others excel in charter schools, private schools, microschools, online learning programs or home-schooling environments. Parents know their children best, yet too often families are limited by income, geography or a school environment that simply is not the right fit.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit represents a future where more Nevada families will finally have real educational options, something many parents have been fighting for and waiting on for decades. This policy will help create scholarships that give families the ability to choose the learning environment that works best for their children, opportunities that too many families simply have not been able to afford. Most importantly, this is about putting students and families first.
Education should never be one-size-fits-all. When families have options, children benefit. Schools become more innovative and responsive. Parents become more engaged. Communities grow stronger.
Teachers unions and political organizations often try to frame school choice as a partisan issue, discouraging elected officials from supporting policies that expand educational options. But for parents, this issue has never been about politics. It is personal. It is about helping their child succeed, feel safe and reach their full potential. That’s why 30 states have committed to the Education Freedom Tax Credit with governors from both political parties opting their states in for this generational opportunity.
Nevada’s future depends on the success of our children. The Education Freedom Tax Credit is more than just a policy taking effect in 2027. It is about building a future where every Nevada family has hope, opportunity and the freedom to choose the educational path that works best for their child.
Nevada families deserve that future, and we are finally moving closer to making it a reality.
Valeria Gurr is a senior fellow for policy and advocacy at the American Federation for Children.
